Red Tape Shown the Door at Transport Ministry

December 19, 2011

It is not all that often these days that motorists have much to cheer about, but motor caravan enthusiasts along with most other drivers will be delighted with the latest news emanating from the Department for Transport (DfT).

After a consultation process known as the Red Tape Challenge, where the DfT challenged its staff and members of the public to identify areas where rules and regulations were clumsy and unnecessary, the department has made a whole raft of changes, the majority of which will be welcomed by one and all. The headline making change is that in future motorists will no longer have to carry a paper copy of their driving licence, a move that is estimated will save drivers in the UK around £8 million.

Another big change will see the disappearance of the insurance certificate. This piece of legislation in the past has meant for example, someone trying to pay their road tax on a motorhome would have to provide a certificate proving they had motorhome insurance before they could make the purchase. This prevented millions of motorists from using online facilities thus costing the motorist and the taxpayer millions of pounds. In the future the DfT intend to dispense with the paper certificate and expect the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to liaise with the Motor Insurance Database (MID) to identify law breaking drivers.

Speaking about the changes, Transport Minister Justine Greening said: “Motorists shouldn’t have to keep numerous bits of paper just to prove they can drive and have bought insurance — we live in digital age and we need to embrace that. This whole process just proves that there’s so much sitting on our statute books that at the very least needs a good spring clean or can be scrapped entirely.”